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Public Services and Procurement

During question period on public services and procurement, the Bloc Québécois asked about cost overruns on the Cúram government software project, which it said has risen to nearly $7 billion and which makes it harder for seniors to get their pensions; the Bloc said the new Liberal majority was refusing to release related documents and used its majority in committee to block information, and pointed to $451 million added for Cúram in the economic update. The Liberal parliamentary secretary replied that the government has been open about the project, noting $1.8 billion invested against a $4.8 billion budget, that the old age security modernization phase came in under budget, and that the system administers OAS, EI and the CPP, with the first phase proceeding as planned and later phases still to come.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

4 statements

Mario Simard

Bloc Québécois
“The Liberals are hiding documents about government software that now costs nearly $7 billion. This bad software makes it hard for seniors to get their pensions. I want to know if the government will keep hiding information like this.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, yesterday, the first thing the Liberals did with their new majority was refuse to release the documents on the Cúram software cost overruns. While costs have risen to nearly $7 billion, the Liberals are using their majority to hide the truth from the opposition and the public. Tens of thousands of seniors are struggling to get their old age pension, but the Liberals refuse to let us address the root of the problem. Is that what we can expect from the next three years of a Liberal majority government?

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Leslie Church

Liberal

Linked statement

“We are being open about this project. We have spent 1.8 billion dollars out of our 4.8-billion-dollar budget. We finished modernizing old age security under budget, using only 633 million of the 674 million dollars set aside for it. The budget changes because updating a 60-year-old system is big and complicated.”

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, we have been very open and clear about this project. I will be clear. On a total budget of $4.8 billion, $1.8 billion has been invested. In fact, the modernization of old age security was delivered under budget. Of the $674 million allocated for this phase, only $633 million was required, reflecting strong project oversight and effective cost management. As the project evolves, so does the budget, reflecting the scale and complexity of modernizing a 60‑year‑old, obsolete system. This has been transparently communicated—

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Mario Simard

Bloc Québécois
“The government added $451 million for Cúram, but they keep saying it is on budget. They are using their majority in committee to hide the truth. They need to be accountable.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I cannot believe what I just heard. The Liberals know there are problems with Cúram, because they added $451 million for Cúram and the CRA in the economic update. It is absurd for them to claim that there are no cost overruns when they added $451 million in cost overruns in the update. Meanwhile, they are using their majority in committee to hide information. Yesterday, the minister repeated that Cúram is on budget. Do the Liberals understand that having a majority does not absolve them from being accountable to Quebeckers?

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Leslie Church

Liberal
“This project runs our main public benefit programs. The first part is going as planned, and the next parts are still to come. It is an important project that must continue.”

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, as the member knows, this system administers our main benefit programs, namely OAS, EI and the CPP. The first phase of the project is proceeding as planned. The project’s other phases are still to come. This is a necessary and ongoing project.

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